Alumni News: 1970s.

We've received tons of responses from alumni who want to let us know what they're up to, so we're going to roll out some info on this blog as well as in the Victory Journal. Let us know what you're doing at alumni@wol.org.

Michael Jessee (’71) and his wife, Carrie, have three children: Rachel, Matthew, and Robin. He loves golf, ministers through financial counseling, and is self-employed.

Ann (Mound) Wood (’72) has been a Hudson Falls (New York) school bus attendant for 13 years. She makes wordless books, wordless bracelets, cross stitch bookmarks, and wordless cross pins for missionaries. She is involved with Gideon’s International.

Ginny Newton (’73) is working in the academics department at the Bible Institute’s Florida campus. She is excited to meet alumni when they come through.

Carla Gray (’74) is the assistant dean of women at the Bible Institute’s New York campus. She is thankful the Bible Institute taught her to schedule her Quiet Time each day, which has changed her life.

Hal J. Russell (’74) is a pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Sewell, New Jersey. He and his wife, Cindy, have one daughter, Shawna (27).

Marshall Wicks (’74) is a resident professor at the Bible Institute’s Florida campus. He encourages alumni to send students.

Rick (’74) and Linda (Bollback) Warken (’75) have served with Word of Life for 37 years. Their recent interests involve grandchildren and family!

Nathan Myers (’75) is retired and working in the sound room at church. He is married to Joyce.

Dave Rich (’75) is a part-time staff member with Missions International, a missions agency that focuses on Eastern Europe and Central Asia. He partners with a church in Nadvira, Ukraine, and helps with summer camp, remodeling the church, and assisting in evangelism with their church plant. He is also an investor and an adult Sunday School teacher at his local church. He and his wife, Cheryl, have two children: Jennifer Clark (28) and Jonathan Rich (25).

David King (’76) works at Walmart. He and his wife, Cyndi, have three children: Elizabeth (24), Stephen (22), and Phillip (20).

Joanne (Chamberlain) Carver (’76) and her husband, David, have three children: David, Daniel, and Debra. Joanne, a retired school nurse teacher, has been a hospice volunteer for 10 years, sings in a community chorus, and teaches ladies Bible study at Grace Bible Fellowship.

Caroline (Sims) Jones (’76) is married to David, and she just finished 17 years of homeschooling their four daughters. Their third daughter, Olivia, graduated from the Bible Institute in 2012. Daughter No. 4, Caroline, will attend the Bible Institute this fall. David is a Navy psychologist and became the executive officer of the James Lovell Federal Health Care Center in Chicago this summer.

Dana Towle (‘78) is a youth pastor at Midway Bible Church.

Sharon (Ulrich) Avila (’78) is working part time in food services at a retirement community and is active in her local church. She and her husband, Jorge, have one child, Daniel (21).

Christian Kendig (’78) graduated from Capital Bible Seminary in 1996 with a masters of divinity. He is now retired after working 25 years at a retirement community. He is a chaplain for Campsite Evangelism and is a Lancaster County Aquarium Club member.

Glenda Martin (’78) is a wife, mom, grandmother, and registered nurse. She is involved in women’s ministry. She and her husband, Wayne, have two grown daughters: Stephanie Orlowski and Kristin Buird.

Tamera (Champlin) Buffington (’79) works in accounts receivable at the Step Lively Foot and Ankle Center. She and her husband, Scott, have two children: Levi (14) and Jesse (10).

Linda (Miller) Davenport (’79) and her husband, David, a pastor, have three children: Amber (28), Craig (27), and Ryan (25). She teaches children’s church and serves with AWANA. The Lord laid on her heart to organize outreach at the fair, where they have seen many come to Christ.

Mark Trostle (’79) is a missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea. He and his wife, Estella, have two children: Tim (16) and Micah (13).

Dennis Ulrich (’79) and his wife, Joyce, have three children: Brian (25), Lynne (24), and Emily (21).

Linda (Ramsey) Wollbrink (’79) and her husband, Larry, have two children: Joseph (20) and Chris (18). She is an instructor at Centra College of Nursing.

Diane (Boyer) Dorman (’80) and her husband, David (’78, ’80), have three children: Katie, Laura, and Andrew. Diane works in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and for United Road Services and Insagenix. She volunteers in her community.

Tours: Harry Bollback remembers the beginning.

Word of Life has been involved in a variety of musical groups and dramatic productions over the years, including Tours around the country and Gospel Productions, based at the Florida campus. This year the ministry is moving away from hosting productions solely at the Florida location, and Bible Institute students will instead be touring several cities with a production called Magi.

Don Lough, Jr. and Harry Bollback sat down with Mike Calhoun, executive assistant to the president, to talk about this new time for Word of Life.

Mike: When did the tour idea originally come to you?

Harry: In 1975, Jack Wyrtzen asked me to take a group of Collegians out. He took one group, and I took the other. We called it The Living Christmas Tree. Basically, the students stood on risers and held a string of lights that one of the guys would plug in every once in a while. When I got back, Jack said, “What do you think?” I said, “Jack, it was terrible. Honestly, it doesn’t look like Word of Life — no class.” That’s when Jack said to me, “Why don’t you do something about it?” I said, “I’ve never done anything like this.” 

Mike: That’s when Let Freedom Ring was born, right?

Harry: Yes. I had the advantage in that 1976 was a big year, and the story of Let Freedom Ring was a very patriotic story. Jack traveled with me and did a 10-minute Gospel message at the end. We started out on spring break in 1976. The response was overwhelming. We had taken a giant step of faith. We were in every giant theater you could think of and filled them. We had more than 90,000 people come to see it. There were hundreds of decisions. I decided while I was on that tour to write Ring the Bells.

Mike: How many nights in a row would you tour?

Harry: The full tour would be about 40 days.

Mike: About how many nights were you and Millie on the road?

Harry: I think about 120 days a year.

Mike: Over the course of all your tours — I have heard you talk about the numbers....

Harry: Leander Chute was on the tour with me and would count the tickets every night. He was very precise, so believe me when I tell you that he counted more than two million tickets of those who attended all of our presentations.

Mike: What was the largest audience you ever had?

Harry: I think the largest audience we had was at Madison Square Garden — not in the big Garden, but in the smaller, 7,500-seat auditorium. We did three Christmas programs. We had about 21,000 people that day. We did it just like this: We opened the back door and let everybody out and then would bring them in by a different door.

Mike: Would you do it again?

Harry: Definitely! But remember, I did not do it by myself. I had a great team!

Were you involved in Tours or Gospel Productions in any way? We want your stories and your photos! Send them along to alumni@wol.org or post on our Facebook group. We are hoping to tell many stories from throughout Word of Life’s years of productions in an upcoming issue. Please send your memories, even if you only have a few words to say.

Click here to read what Don Lough Jr. has to say about the new production.
Click here to see when and where Magi will be headed.

Tours: Don Lough, Jr. shares his vision.

Word of Life has been involved in a variety of musical groups and dramatic productions over the years, including Tours around the country and Gospel Productions, based at the Florida campus. This year the ministry is moving away from hosting productions solely at the Florida location, and Bible Institute students will instead be touring several cities with a production called Magi.

Don Lough, Jr. and Harry Bollback sat down with Mike Calhoun, executive assistant to the president, to talk about this new time for Word of Life.

Mike: Tell me about your passion for getting Bible Institute students into churches and communities with the new Christmas presentation Magi.

Don: It is important to me that we build close relationships with churches. As a ministry, Word of Life desires to serve the local church, and I believe this is one of the ways we can assist churches in reaching their communities.

Mike: Is this presentation a tool for evangelism?

Don: Yes. This program will be a great blessing to believers of all ages. However, it will also afford an opportunity for believers to bring friends to a quality Christmas program where they will see and hear a clear Gospel presentation. We are building specific aspects into the program just to keep children engaged. This is a family experience, and it was created with the family in mind.

Mike: I know another goal you have is for us to reconnect with our Bible Institute alumni.

Don: We are serious about reaching out to our alumni and reconnecting with them. We have asked Mike and Amy Bush to oversee this area for us, and they are aggressively reestablishing contact. I want to do more of this as we are on the road with this presentation.

Mike: I understand you have some history with Tours even as a child.

Don: Starting when I was about 10 years old, my father directed the Collegians, and I had the privilege of traveling on Tours such as Ring the Bells and His Truth Goes Marching On. It was an amazing experience to be up close and personal with Bible Institute students and Uncle Harry and Aunt Millie. What a joy it was to see so many come to Christ night after night. The periodic rides in the Chutes' green RV were a bonus!

Mike: Where do you anticipate taking the Christmas presentation?

Don: We will begin this year with one group in New York and New England and another in Florida and Georgia. However, I foresee us covering much of the East Coast and the Midwest as we move forward. Even this year, there will be a second Bible Institute ensemble going to the Midwest during the same timeframe. They will just not be doing the Magi presentation.

Were you involved in Tours or Gospel Productions in any way? We want your stories and your photos! Send them along to alumni@wol.org or post on our Facebook group. We are hoping to tell many stories from throughout Word of Life’s years of productions in an upcoming issue. Please send your memories, even if you only have a few words to say.

Click here to read what Harry Bollback had to say about the beginning of Tours.

Click here to see when and where Magi will be headed.

Tours: A New Frontier.

Word of Life is hitting the road again, this time for a special Christmas production called Magi. With a cast and crew made up of Bible Institute students and Word of Life staff, come experience a unique blend of music, drama and multimedia with one purpose in mind: to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Magi will be reconnecting with local churches with these special presentations this Christmas season. For more information, visit wol.org/Christmas.

Dates and Locations:

Dec. 6: Chicopee, Massachusetts
Dec. 7: Springfield, Massachusetts
Dec. 8: Worcester, Massachusetts
Dec. 9: Weymouth, Massachusetts
Dec. 10: Providence, Rhode Island
Dec. 11: Scotland, Connecticut
Dec. 12: Hartford, Connecticut
Dec. 13: Clinton, Connecticut

2014 Tour: Northern New England, western Pennsylvania
2015 Tour: Western New York, northern Pennsylvania, Indiana/Michigan

Were you involved in Tours or Gospel Productions in any way? We want your stories and your photos! Send them along to alumni@wol.org or post on our Facebook group. We are hoping to tell many stories from throughout Word of Life’s years of productions in an upcoming issue. Please send your memories, even if you only have a few words to say.

Click here to read what Don Lough, Jr. and Harry Bollback have to say about this new production.

Victory Journal Issue 7: Online.

You can find all the articles from the latest Victory Journal on this blog, but if you'd like to see a PDF version of the actual magazine, click here.

Also, if you are not receiving the print copy, please send us your updated contact info at alumni@wol.org, and we'll get you on our mailing list.

IIlustrating the Ultimate Superhero: Jay Fabok, Class of 2008

It makes sense for Christians to be drawn to the moral goodness of superheroes. It’s hard not to be attracted to their strength, bravery, and life-saving feats as well. As Sergio Cariello, 2012 Bible Institute Alumnus of the Year and comic book illustrator, put it: “Jesus is the ultimate superhero.”

Jay Fabok, Class of 2008, another skilled graphic artist and Bible Institute alumnus, has found that his connection to fictional superheroes — Batman, specifically — also helps him spread truth about the one true Savior.

Jay was raised in a Christian home in Ontario and was saved at a very young age. But like so many teenagers, he says he was eventually swayed by the world and drawn into partying. Even as he was walking away from God, though, God was still pulling on his heart and working in his life to lead him in the right direction.

Jay had been a fan of a Christian music group since he was a kid. At age 20, just a few months away from completing a three-year computer animation program, he went to a concert in London, Ontario, and listened to one of the band members share his testimony.

“I felt the Lord tugging on me,” Jay remembers. “He knew my dreams, and He said, ‘Jay, you can either continue down your own path and maybe you’ll have success or maybe you won’t. Or, you can give your life to Christ and follow me. I may lead you to different places, but I promise you’ll have a really great adventure. You’ve just got to trust me.’”

That night, Jay accepted Christ as his Savior and turned away from his sinful life. God used the band he’d loved since childhood to bring Jay home.

After rededicating his life to Christ, Jay felt led to go to Bible college. His youth pastor had gone to the Bible Institute at Owen Sound and encouraged Jay to apply.

“I took a leap of faith and went, and I loved it,” he says. “Going to the Bible Institute, for me, turned out to be the best year of my life.”

Attending the Bible Institute strengthened Jay’s relationship with God. But he also learned discipline and structure, which helped put him back on the right track to achieve his goals. Jay says every minute of every day he spent at Word of Life was used efficiently, and the time management skills he learned guide his work today as an artist with DC Comics, where he has strict deadlines and is expected to produce the highest quality work.

Another part of Jay’s job involves visiting schools and conventions and speaking with young people about his art. Through the experience of Open Air Evangelism in Toronto, Jay became comfortable sharing his testimony and teaching the Gospel. Jay’s work gives him a unique avenue to the hearts of colleagues who respect him and young people who look up to him.

“It doesn’t matter where you are in life — if you work in entertainment, at a factory, or in ministry — you have to give your job to the Lord and allow Him to work through it,” Jay says.

Jay and his wife of three years, Sarah, Class of 2008, whom he met at the Bible Institute, live in southwestern Ontario and recently found a new church family at Emmanuel Baptist in Windsor. Jay is excited to become more involved in the ministry, specifically working with youth. His fondest memories of Word of Life involve the staff and fellow students who poured into him, discipled him, and encouraged him in his walk with God. He’s paying that gift forward now through discipleship with a young person at his church who dreams of being a comic artist.

Last year, Jay signed on with DC Comics full-time to produce a series of Batman detective comics, based on the original series that appeared in 1938. He says it’s amazing for him to be working on such a large title in his rookie years. Batman is his favorite character, and with the recent trilogy of feature films, the superhero is more popular than ever.

The true blessing Jay sees in sketching Batman is the connection the character gives him to young people. He recognizes that his talent was given to him by God, and like the music group did for him, Jay feels compelled to use his art to touch youth who have strayed from or have never met God.

“Through my time at Snow Camp and summer camp, the Bible Institute put a burden on my heart for today’s youth,” he says. “My industry is about messaging toward youth, so I’m able to meet them face-to-face. I’m able to use my art as an ‘in’ to reach young people with the Gospel and grow them in their relationship with the Lord.”

Photos courtesy of DC Comics

Alumnus of the Year: Chris Gnanakan.

In last summer’s edition of the Victory Journal, we told you about Dr. Chris Gnanakan’s journey. He went from being a technician in Bangalore, India, to a church-planter on fire for God, thanks in part to the vision of Jack Wyrtzen and Wendell Calder and a scholarship to the Bible Institute in New York.

Chris is busy blazing new paths for contemporary global missions as the recently named executive director of Outreach to Asia Nationals (OTAN), an international organization dedicated to bringing the Gospel to restricted countries by training nationals in evangelism.

This past spring, Chris was given another distinction: 2013 Word of Life Bible Institute Alumnus of the Year.

“First and foremost, I feel humbled as a street kid from India receiving this honor from an international organization on the cutting edge of church and life,” he says of the recognition.

When studying at the Bible Institute, Chris says he gained a deep biblical knowledge as well as intensive training in evangelism, which he used to take the hope of the Gospel back to India. Through OTAN, he says he’s able to return the blessing given to him so many years ago by expanding the reach of the message of Christ in limited-access nations, including North Korea, Butan, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

The thousands of churches Chris has helped plant through both his own efforts and his training of others will carry his influence into the future. He wants his legacy to be his teaching — Chris encourages the nationals he disciples to have a sense of urgency about their faith because he believes work ethic is the heartbeat of evangelism. But, while there is what he calls “prosperity in posterity,” he says he is also forever indebted to Jack Wyrtzen and Wendell Calder and his former mentor, Gene Tozer, for kindling his fire for the Lord and preparing to shine that light in the darkest corners of the world.

“The heritage I’ve received through Word of Life was so foundational and formative in shaping me and giving me the impetus for global missions,” Chris says. “I feel equipped.”

A Message to Fellow Alumni from Chris Gnanakan

Dr. Chris Gnanakan says he lives by three questions that he learned at Word of Life. He has passed this advice on to hundreds of thousands of other disciples in 91 countries through curriculum he has developed. He encourages fellow alumni to apply these questions to their own lives and to reflect on them each day.

1.  Is God’s Word well used in my life?

“Is my strategy biblical? Is my vision Jesus’ vision for the church? Word of Life gave me the acquisition of truth and the application of truth in real life. Through the habit of daily Quiet Time I have learned how to use the knowledge of God’s Word in my life each day.”

2. Is God’s work well done?

“At the Bible Institute, I learned that work is divine. Nobody died of hard work! There is value in being a workaholic for God. You’ve got to give it all you’ve got! Integrity should characterize your work. It makes people respect you. Aesthetics and truth go together — people are attracted to it.”

3. Is my Lord well pleased?

“Like Paul the apostle, my ambition is to please the Lord, the One who called me. Word of Life taught me to live for the pleasure of God. When I go to bed at night, can I see him raise his thumbs? I think of Galatians 1:9-10 — like a conductor with an orchestra, sometimes you must turn your back on the world.”

Where Are They Now? Dr. Tom Taylor.

Church History teacher Dr. Tom Taylor was a Bible Institute favorite for years, and countless alumni have their own stories to tell about the always-entertaining instructor. Shirley Richards from the Bible Institute’s New York campus checked in with Dr. Taylor and his wife, Ruth, to see how the Taylors are doing and to collect some memories for alumni to enjoy. Dr. Taylor has had an uphill climb this year as he recuperates from breaking his hip in October. Please join us in praying for Dr. Taylor’s recovery as we remember what made him one of the best.

Dr. Taylor was a guest lecturer at the Bible Institute from 1971 to 2010, including trips to the Florida and Owen Sound campuses once they started. That meant up to six weeks of teaching each spring, sometimes finishing in Canada on a Friday and driving all the way to Florida for the next week’s classes.

Dr. Taylor took on the nearly impossible task of teaching 2,000 years of Church History in 20 class hours. He had a gift for making all the details about people, places, and various “things” interesting by adding his sense of humor to the lectures. He was also known to give a harmonica concert or two during the class week, which students always enjoyed.

When I worked with Dr. Taylor and other guest lecturers, he would write “story tests” in which the test questions were embedded in the storyline. One line from a story test had a sentence that read, “The pastor knew that his church was being persecuted by the neighborhood when he found a cactus leaf on the pulpit chair.”

Ruth Taylor says her husband always found their weeks at the Bible Institute exciting and profitable, with both of them blessed by the students and faculty, their dependence on the Lord, and their happy spirit. One memory she mentioned is of the time Dr. Taylor said in a lecture that he always picked up pennies when he saw them on the street. The next morning, there were pennies all over the platform.
The 2002 yearbook for the New York campus, which was dedicated to Dr. Taylor, had more to say about the man it called “everyone’s favorite Church History teacher.”

“Dr. Taylor feels that people do not know enough about the history of the church, and he wants to keep them informed,” the dedication said. “He especially enjoys teaching at Word of Life because ‘I can use the same jokes every year!’ He loves keeping his students interested by telling of his wedding day, of which he claims, ‘I barely survived, and it was too much work!’ He loves to invest individual time in his students’ lives and distinctly remembers having Dr. Davis and Dr. Wicks in his classroom.”

The dedication also noted, “He warns future students that he is in the process of making new tests and says that they should probably begin studying immediately.”

Dr. Taylor left those students with some words of wisdom: “Always take advantage of the time God has given you to study His Word, and always remember to set our minds on the things above.”

Dr. Taylor also spoke at many Word of Life conferences and banquets, and he enjoyed fishing and gardening in his free time. (It’s an exciting day when the seed catalogs arrive!) He has also written a book, Your Old Testament Tool Box.

I am thankful for the ministry of the Taylors over the years, and I’m sure students have great memories of his classes, too.

Feel free to share your memories of Dr. Taylor on our alumni Facebook group, or send them to alumni@wol.org if you want to be an encouragement to Dr. Taylor at this time.

Refresh: Reaching the next generation for Christ.

“It is the responsibility of every generation to reach the next generation for Christ.”

Jack Wyrtzen often made this statement when he preached. Growing up in Word of Life, I always assumed ministering to young people was normal — everyone did that, didn’t they? That seemed to be part of the core DNA of any ministry: the next generation.

But as I’ve grown and become actively involved in different ministries, I can’t help but notice an absence of young people — not only sitting in our pews but also involved in life-changing discipleship in our churches. It begs the question: Have we, as believers, lost sight of this goal? Does ministering to this next generation seem like a lost cause because young people’s hearts are so hard from the world’s influence? Or, maybe, have we forgotten how to minister to them?

What does it look like to reach this next generation for Christ? Here are some specific ways we should approach today’s young people if we want to be effective in sharing truth in their everyday lives.

1. Talk to them! Don’t assume that young Christians are immune to the influence of the world.

This next generation is being exposed to adult content at a younger age than ever before, and it’s not just in public schools. This is the world in which this generation has to live, and we must prepare them to do so successfully. We can’t assume they’re OK because they seem like “good Christian kids.” We must help them by actively building relationships and talking with them about real issues. We need to put the iPhones and iPads down, get off Facebook, and interact with the next generation. This way, they won’t choose to reveal their secrets to a stranger but rather to a trusted guide.

2. Show them the difference between acceptance and approval.

There is a big difference between acceptance and approval, but so often our world confuses the two. In their minds, if you don’t approve of their choices, you’re rejecting them because their identity is wrapped up in the decisions they make. But we must teach this generation that God alone has the right to define them (Genesis 2; Ephesians 1). Acceptance and approval are very different — though we accept people because we love and care for them, we do not approve of some of their actions. When young people admit to doing something, remind them that you are there for them, you want them to be successful in life, and you accept them always. But also tell them that you cannot approve of the choices they are making because there is a difference between acceptance and approval.

3. Give them love with leadership.

No one made this point better than Jesus Christ! When dealing with the woman caught in adultery, first Jesus loved her, and then He led her (John 8:1-11). Titus 2 talks about how the older generation should protect, love, and lead this next generation by example for the sake of the Gospel. What are we doing to fulfill this?

4. Don’t give up on them.

Tenacity is key when working with this next generation. We must be more stubborn about their growth than they are about their own way. Paul encourages us in Galatians 6:9 not to give up! This next generation needs us to be persistent. We must teach them and guide them, but most importantly, we need to pray for them. We can’t afford to give up.

The young people of the next generation may seem like they’re chock full of challenges, and they are. But they aren’t without hope, because they aren’t without an older generation to teach them.

How are you reaching the next generation for Christ?

Sarah Bubar, Class of 1995, is the dean of women at the Bible Institute’s Florida campus. She recently graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas, where she received her masters of divinity in women’s studies. While there, Sarah and her friends started an online resource ministry called UnlockingFemininity.com and co-authored a book called Radical Dating: When God Takes Control of Your Love Life. Her passion includes discipleship and teaching the Word of God to women.

We Still Believe: Alumni Roundtable.

As we looked ahead to sending a new class of graduates across the stage this summer, we thought it would be great to gather some of our current students together with alumni from throughout the years to see what everyone has in common. Some parts of the Bible Institute have changed, and some remain the same — and who better to give us a perspective on that than those who have been there for a year or two?

New Alumni Director Mike Bush, Class of 1981, hosted a roundtable at Homecoming Weekend. Click here to read the entire conversation.

Q&A: Tom Phillips

Tom Phillips has ministered with Word of Life for 39 years, 22 of them in Florida. This May, he began a transition from director of Word of Life Florida to a new role that includes leading music teams from the New York and Florida campuses, advising the Florida ministry (now under the direction of Rich Andrews) and serving as camp director for the Island and Snow Camp. He sat down with Wayne Lewis this spring to talk about some of the changes and what he’s looking forward to.

Check out the complete interview here.

From the Editor: Issue 7.

by Jen Slothower

Happy summer, everyone! This issue marks one of the best times of the year, as we welcome a whole new class into our alumni family.

As we put together each Victory Journal, we always have many areas we want to cover. We want to encourage all our alumni, regardless of calling, class year, or location, and we want to keep you updated on what Word of Life is doing. We also want to tell many of your unique stories. It’s hard to find space to do it all!

That’s why we’re so excited about this issue. We get to hear from two people who are deeply instrumental in ministering to our Florida campus (Tom Phillips and Sarah Bubar). A recent Owen Sound graduate will tell us how God is using his vocation in art and comic book drawing to reach youth for Christ. We’ll send off a new class of graduates while getting some advice from alumni who have been there before. We’ll also see how one Word of Life institution — Tours — is developing into a whole new kind of ministry. As someone who toured with her grandparents on Word of Life’s big coach as a 6-year-old, I’m excited to see Bible Institute students back on the road.

That’s just the beginning. I hope all of you will find a little something inside to encourage you on your way. Enjoy!

God at the controls: A message from the chancellor.

It was another trip to remember. As my plane taxied out to the runway a few days ago, a man suddenly threw off his seatbelt and rushed up the aisle. Through tears he expressed that he was feeling anxious and needed to get off the airplane. As you might imagine, passengers around me reacted with disbelief and disgust as our already-delayed plane returned to the gate. What’s wrong with this guy?

The truth is that this man is far from alone in dealing with the problem of anxiety. While unwilling to admit it, many people are deeply troubled with job insecurity, a volatile stock market, North Korean missile threats, and gun violence. Anxious thoughts have an incredible way of dominating our minds.

We live in a worried world, and I do not need to remind you that we as Christians are certainly not exempt from hard times and turbulence. However, Philippians 4:6 makes it crystal clear how God expects us to respond. Paul writes, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Easier said than done, right?

Whether you are a recent graduate of the Bible Institute or an alumnus from years past, God expects your total trust and obedience. You may not fully see it now, but He holds the controls and has an incredible plan for your life. When faced with the cares and uncertainties of life, God wants you to trust Him by taking your seatbelt off and rushing to Him. With complete confidence in His sovereignty and love, you can throw “all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

I am thrilled with all that God is doing in and through your life. Be sure to let me know how I can pray for you in the days ahead.

Staff News: Euanna Pigford.

Euanna Pigford, who has served with Word of Life in some way for the past 47 years, finished up as the Bible Institute’s music coordinator in May and will retire from Word of Life at the end of this summer.

Euanna started with Word of Life in the summer of 1965, when she first attended the Island as a camper. She has been involved with Word of Life ever since. She sang in the Word of Life ensemble and was a counselor on the Island for several summers before helping lead the counselor program.

Euanna loved music since she was a little girl. She wanted to take piano lessons, so for her seventh birthday, her parents bought her a piano and arranged for lessons. In eighth grade, all her friends started to quit playing the piano, so she thought she should do that, too. Her father told her that wasn’t an option, so she stuck to it.

After becoming a school teacher and teaching young people of all ages, Euanna also served in several churches, leading choirs. She accepted a position teaching voice at Adirondack Community College and assumed she would be doing that for the rest of her working career, but when her friend, Brian Donley, the music director at the Bible Institute, became ill, she was asked to help out and led the program after Brian went home to be with the Lord.

Euanna has loved working with the students at the Bible Institute. She says, “My job is to prepare students for service after the Bible Institute.” She knows that God has placed us where we are for a reason, and that we never know how He will use us. She has had an incredible influence in the lives of thousands of young people.

“What a model of faithfulness Euanna has been over the years. Words hardly express what she means to all of us here at Word of Life. I have so many incredible memories of serving with her on the Island, enjoying her piano and organ talents at the Inn, and watching her love and lead the Bible Institute Collegians. She’s like a sister to me and, of course, my favorite piano teacher!” — Don Lough, Jr.

“I have known Euanna for more than 35 years. Her servant’s spirit combined with her outstanding skills in music and leadership have made an indelible impact in the lives of thousands of young people. Her service is a reminder that God uses people who make themselves available to Him, for His use, and for His glory!” — John Nelson

“Euanna always had a passion for musical excellence. She never would settle for merely OK or good, because she strives for the best. Combine that with her incredible loving spirit for her students, and she was not only a great teacher, but also a good friend.” — Michael Kilbride, Class of 2009 and 2011

“Miss Pigford is one of the greatest encouragers I have ever met. Her inspiring optimism and love for people came from a desire to please her Savior. By modeling this, she taught us to have a passion for service and ministry for an audience of One.” — Rachel Mallory, Class of 2010 and 2011